User's Manual

20 Chapter 6: Navigation
XL8 Control Centre
Quick Reference Guide
How the output channels are managed
All output channels, except masters, are paired and managed in banks of 16 (eight
pairs per bank). The mix and output bays have eight dual-channel fast strips each.
The ones in the mix bay are for auxes (32) and returns (16), and the ones in the output
bay are for matrices (16). The output bay also houses the thee master channels (two
stereos and a mono). Both bays use the channel strip in the mix bay.
In the standard XL8 configuration the outputs are displayed on the mix bay GUI screen,
16 at a time.
How the mix buses are managed
All mix buses are initially in mono pairs, but can each can be stereo linked. The mix
buses on each input channel comprise 32 auxes and 16 matrices, while the output
channels have 16 returns and 32 auxes each. The mix bus navigational controls are
located towards the bottom of their respective channel strips.
About the navigational controls
The XL8 navigational controls can be broadly divided into two main areas: those that
operate the channels currently populating the control surface (quick access buttons and
LCD select buttons) and the ones that navigate channels to/from the control surface
(scroll buttons and output select buttons) — although there may be some overlap.
Table 1: Description of the navigational controls
Some of the controls, such as control knobs in the input fast strips, are sensitive to
touch and will select the local channel when operated.
Type Description Example(s)
Quick access
button
Quickly selects the local area, such as a channel, mix bus or detail
area. The buttons, which are round and translucent, illuminate
(blue) when active.
LCD select
button
Selects the local channel/mix/group. The buttons have a
user-configurable backlit LCD display that provides useful
feedback, such as name and type. When selected, the display
changes to a ‘negative’ image.
Scroll button Grouped in pairs, these buttons scroll through the channels and
mix buses, changing selection. The direction of scrolling matches
the analogue convention, where channels are left/right and mixes
are up/down. The scrolling action of the buttons (or the number
of channels/buses scrolled per press) varies according to button
location. The buttons are translucent and have a blue backlight
that illuminates when pressed.
Bank select
button
Navigates its associated bank (mix bus or output channel) to the
control surface. The buttons are translucent and have a blue
backlight that illuminates when pressed; the backlight stays on to
show you which bank is currently populating the control surface.
input select
section
Navigates a single channel to the control surface, which is
generally used for rectifying a fault on a problem channel.
For location, see Figure 7 “Input bay navigational controls
(channel)” on page 21.